The shift linkage of many automobiles having automatic transmissions includes a piece of shafting which extends through a port in the transmission casing. A seal is provided between the shaft and the adjacent positions of the casing which prevents fluid within the transmission from escaping. The seal usually comprises an inner annulus of pliable material for bearing against a circumference of the shaft and a rigid, usually metal, outer annulus for supporting the inner annulus. In most constructions of this seal, the outer annulus is provided with an inwardly directed lip which is radially spaced apart from the shaft by the inner annulus.
When the subject seals begin to leak or are otherwise in need of replacement, the practice has been to disassemble the transmission to the extent required for gaining access to the seal thru the interior of the trans caseing. Such work, however, is extremely time consuming and expensive. Moreover, the removal, disassembly and reconstruction of a transmission is often beyond the expertise and capacities of the ordinary home mechanic. Thusly, there has been a real need to find a way to effect the replacement of the subject seals which is labor and cost effective and which can be performed without removal or disassembly of the transmission.
In another, concurrent patent application of this inventor, there is disclosed a tool for removing oil retention seals from transmissions which requires neither the disassembly of the transmissions nor the removal of same from the automobile chassis.
The remaining problem, therefore, is to provide a mechanism and method for installing a new oil retention seal once the old one has been removed. The tool and method must be capable of accurately and squarely seating the seal, even if the servicing is performed while the transmission remains mounted to the automobile chassis. Consequently, the tool must also be readily useable within the spaces allowed underneath an automobile.